Well that’s that for another year then. After the heroics in Agen a week ago it was back down to earth with a European bump on Sunday with the defeat at the hands of the Scarlets. No excuses though, all credit to Llanelli, on the day we were beaten by the better team.
To be honest apart from the opening salvo it never really looked like we got into our stride as the Welsh side never let us settle all afternoon and they now go into the quarterfinals worthy winners to take on our friends from the Basque country Biarritz.
My money to lift the trophy, as always, will still be on Toulouse with Wasps pushing them very close. For us we wait for another year to try and scale the heights we did in 2000.
So it’s a time for regrouping and concentrating on the last available silverware, the Zurich Premiership. Bottom place Rotherham visit on Saturday and the lads must go for the full pointer to start putting a bit of daylight between us in third and the chasing pack of four, four points behind us.
With Wasps still in with a chance of catching Bath at the head of the table the target now for the Saints is securing that third place and a semi final game at either the ‘Wreck’ or the Causeway on the 15th of May then a grand send off for Smudger at Twickenham on the 29th. Apart from the European Cup (that can wait) what better way to end a season.
But those dreams are for the future first up we have to secure the points against Rotherham. Considered to be the division’s whipping boys till quite recently they are slowly beginning to turn the corner, albeit way too late to save their season.
The appointment of Steph Nel as coach appears a masterstroke if they had time on their side but now it is just playing for pride for the Yorkshire club. In recent weeks they have run London Irish very close and lived with leaders Bath until superior fitness saw the West Country side home in the last ten minutes so should not be taken lightly.
However I fully expect Saints to put Sundays massive disappointment behind them and get the maximum five points available before the season is disrupted once more by the Six Nations.
PRETTY IN PINK?
Seems we owe a group of local lads an apology. In last weeks paper this column was accompanied by a picture of fans pre-match outside the Bar de la Poste in Agen.
Of course it was easy to recognise the Northamptonians in the photo as they were all bedecked in gold, black and green but who were the chaps prancing about in the pink shirts? Well whoever handles these things at the Chron (not me honest, I just scrawl the words in crayon each week) thought the group had a Gallic air about them and stated they were Agen supporters joining in the fun.
However this could not be further from the truth, the group were in fact the ‘Wednesday Club’ from Wootton a group who meet up each week who all have connections with the Old Scouts Rugby Club. In the papers defence though having bumped into the lads around town and having sat in front of them at the match I’m sure some of the garbled language they were speaking was more akin to French than English but I’ll put that down to the local brew they were knocking back at a rate of knots. Just one last question though, why pink?
SUPPORTERS?
On the subject of support, what a turnout for Llanelli at the Gardens on Sunday.
Although split up in the four corners of the ground around a thousand of them sang from start to finish and were probably the most vocal and entertaining we have seen at the Gardens in quite a few years.
Alas though a small minority, both Scarlet and Saint ruined the day for some. The general abuse aimed at people because they are perceived to be English by a small group of Welsh ‘fans’ is nothing but racism however other people may want to dress it up and reports that some Saints ‘fans’ replied by spitting at Scarlets supporters and using racial abuse in return is beyond the pale.
Luckily only isolated incidents by a very small minority but incidents the club should act on all the same before the Saints get an unwarranted reputation. If it means banning people, then sorry that’s what should happen whoever these people may be. We can all play our own part though, there is nothing quite like peer pressure to deal with these people at source.
All in all though 99.9% of the Scarlets were there for the day to support their team, yes some may have boisterous, including the amiable drunk acting the prawn in front of C Block but to be honest I found him and others nothing but amusing and the others we met after the match friendly in the extreme. That a small minority can spoil it for some should not detract from the fact that overall they were a great bunch and should be welcomed back with open arms for us we must look to put our own house in order too.
LOOK ON THE BRIGHT SIDE
Yes we might be out of Europe but look on the bright side, at least you don’t follow Leicester. As it now increasingly looks like Wayne is off back to New Zealand to assist Graham Henry in coaching the All Blacks. (Its not to late to change your mind Smithy) there is growing speculation on who his replacement may be. If rumours are to be believed Alan Solomons looks the front runner but John Kirwan has also been mentioned in dispatches but the sacking of Dean Richards in some peoples eyes opens the door for Deano too.
In my mind he’s a non starter if the last two seasons at Welford Road are anything to go by. I have this theory that its been the quality players at Leicester and the never say die attitude that served Tigers so well in the late 90’s early noughties. Once the cracks started to show maybe Deano wasn’t all that great a tactical brain as we were led to believe. Certainly the decision to start a game of such importance as last Friday night without a kicker has most shaking their head.
So if Wayne does go, and of course we all hope he doesn’t. let’s pray that Uncle Keith avoids a certain ex traffic cop from the Hinckley area.
My money to lift the trophy, as always, will still be on Toulouse with Wasps pushing them very close. For us we wait for another year to try and scale the heights we did in 2000.
So it’s a time for regrouping and concentrating on the last available silverware, the Zurich Premiership. Bottom place Rotherham visit on Saturday and the lads must go for the full pointer to start putting a bit of daylight between us in third and the chasing pack of four, four points behind us.
With Wasps still in with a chance of catching Bath at the head of the table the target now for the Saints is securing that third place and a semi final game at either the ‘Wreck’ or the Causeway on the 15th of May then a grand send off for Smudger at Twickenham on the 29th. Apart from the European Cup (that can wait) what better way to end a season.
But those dreams are for the future first up we have to secure the points against Rotherham. Considered to be the division’s whipping boys till quite recently they are slowly beginning to turn the corner, albeit way too late to save their season.
The appointment of Steph Nel as coach appears a masterstroke if they had time on their side but now it is just playing for pride for the Yorkshire club. In recent weeks they have run London Irish very close and lived with leaders Bath until superior fitness saw the West Country side home in the last ten minutes so should not be taken lightly.
However I fully expect Saints to put Sundays massive disappointment behind them and get the maximum five points available before the season is disrupted once more by the Six Nations.
PRETTY IN PINK?
Seems we owe a group of local lads an apology. In last weeks paper this column was accompanied by a picture of fans pre-match outside the Bar de la Poste in Agen.
Of course it was easy to recognise the Northamptonians in the photo as they were all bedecked in gold, black and green but who were the chaps prancing about in the pink shirts? Well whoever handles these things at the Chron (not me honest, I just scrawl the words in crayon each week) thought the group had a Gallic air about them and stated they were Agen supporters joining in the fun.
However this could not be further from the truth, the group were in fact the ‘Wednesday Club’ from Wootton a group who meet up each week who all have connections with the Old Scouts Rugby Club. In the papers defence though having bumped into the lads around town and having sat in front of them at the match I’m sure some of the garbled language they were speaking was more akin to French than English but I’ll put that down to the local brew they were knocking back at a rate of knots. Just one last question though, why pink?
SUPPORTERS?
On the subject of support, what a turnout for Llanelli at the Gardens on Sunday.
Although split up in the four corners of the ground around a thousand of them sang from start to finish and were probably the most vocal and entertaining we have seen at the Gardens in quite a few years.
Alas though a small minority, both Scarlet and Saint ruined the day for some. The general abuse aimed at people because they are perceived to be English by a small group of Welsh ‘fans’ is nothing but racism however other people may want to dress it up and reports that some Saints ‘fans’ replied by spitting at Scarlets supporters and using racial abuse in return is beyond the pale.
Luckily only isolated incidents by a very small minority but incidents the club should act on all the same before the Saints get an unwarranted reputation. If it means banning people, then sorry that’s what should happen whoever these people may be. We can all play our own part though, there is nothing quite like peer pressure to deal with these people at source.
All in all though 99.9% of the Scarlets were there for the day to support their team, yes some may have boisterous, including the amiable drunk acting the prawn in front of C Block but to be honest I found him and others nothing but amusing and the others we met after the match friendly in the extreme. That a small minority can spoil it for some should not detract from the fact that overall they were a great bunch and should be welcomed back with open arms for us we must look to put our own house in order too.
LOOK ON THE BRIGHT SIDE
Yes we might be out of Europe but look on the bright side, at least you don’t follow Leicester. As it now increasingly looks like Wayne is off back to New Zealand to assist Graham Henry in coaching the All Blacks. (Its not to late to change your mind Smithy) there is growing speculation on who his replacement may be. If rumours are to be believed Alan Solomons looks the front runner but John Kirwan has also been mentioned in dispatches but the sacking of Dean Richards in some peoples eyes opens the door for Deano too.
In my mind he’s a non starter if the last two seasons at Welford Road are anything to go by. I have this theory that its been the quality players at Leicester and the never say die attitude that served Tigers so well in the late 90’s early noughties. Once the cracks started to show maybe Deano wasn’t all that great a tactical brain as we were led to believe. Certainly the decision to start a game of such importance as last Friday night without a kicker has most shaking their head.
So if Wayne does go, and of course we all hope he doesn’t. let’s pray that Uncle Keith avoids a certain ex traffic cop from the Hinckley area.
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